What is the Young Librarians Working Group Anyway?

The Young Librarians Working Group is a project on behalf of librarians under the age of 35: the Millennial librarians, the first-career librarians, the new-to-the-field, full-of-enthusiasm librarians who often join ALA only to get frustrated and disenchanted with the size and seeming rigidity of the association.

We’re here to change that.

Sound impossible? We don’t think so! Our working group grew out of ALA President-Elect Camila Alire’s initiative for library advocacy, and has been endorsed by the top level of ALA: the Executive Board. Generally, we are charged with trying to understand how to make ALA more viable for young librarians. As part of this charge we will be reporting to ALA leadership about our findings and we will be making suggestions about how the association can better meet young librarian’s needs.

We can’t do it without you.

This is a call to you, fellow librarians, for your feedback and input on ALA and on our work. You are invited to be part of the Young Librarians Think Tank by following this blog and/or joining our ALA Connect space.Â When we have an idea we’ll post it here for your comments, and — believe me, your input matters to us!

Join the Think Tank and make a difference in ALA. Help us help you!

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5 Comments

What a wonderful idea! If anyone is interested, The Young Librarian Series has a very similar goal but unaffiliated with ALA. I would love it if you checked out our space and in turn, there is contact info if I can every help out with this group.

Well, I’m insulted! I will be a “new librarian” full of fresh ideas and willing to take risks when I graduate next may. I’ll be 55. I’m also male, a conservative, and have used computers since DOS 1.0. I’m the real minority the ALA doesn’t want to listen to and I doubt if any of you will “reach out” to people like me. We have experience in the real world and can add much to the growth of librarianship.

@Bob
We certainly aren’t going to discredit your feedback as someone whose age does not fit our parameters. We are the Young Librarians Group because this is how we got formed, and on what we’re concentrating, but we do welcome feedback from everyone.

We understand that there are many people such as yourself who are embarking on a second career or enhancing a previous one by earning an MLS.

Because of the bureaucratic beast that ALA is, we needed a scope within which to concentrate our work. Please continue to give us feedback despite the “young” part of this group. You might be interested to read our group charge to better understand this issue. It is available here: http://connect.ala.org/node/79921

I appreciate where you are coming from as far as focus, that is important. But, you are wasting your time, unless you are working your way up the guts of the beast to someday be the brain. I doubt very many “Young Librarians” will even see the blog, let alone respond. There are far too few that have landed library jobs.

I’m lucky. I got in a few years ago so I have the experience. I have a wide range of skills that increases my organizational value, and my employer is assisting with my tuition.